Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-11-04
Shall We Vote?

Shall We Vote?
CHE following address was delivered
to the teachers, Thursday of last week,
by Mrs. W. r. Day, Superintendent of
conferences with influential Bodies
for Jerauld county, VIC. T. W
Friends:-I come to you to-day as
one ofthat great army of the: w. G. T.
10. which. has for its object che ad.
|Yancement of mankind, intellectual
Improvement, moral and social purity
Christian faith and charity and the
equal political rights to all, without
distinction "of sex, color or previous
condition" who do not ask that IA
Vor be bestowed, but, a right shall be
secured. "A right which woman has
or should have in common with man
to consent to the laws which govern
them, and from this consent it has been
said are derived the just powers OF
government. e.
But they say, il women should vote
that would add vast amount Of ignor-
ance to the voting classes.
Did we think Of this when we were
framing our naturalization laws
whereby many of the most ignorant of
foreign lands, ere il q short time after
arriving here made voters? Or did it
once occur to us when we gave the
elective franchise to the negro so soon
after emancipation?
1t is true there is more to be feared
from ignorance of voters in this coun-
try than from any other cause, and
there should be a reform in our election
laws in this respect. General Grant
tells us that after 1890 all those who
cannot read and write should cease to
WELD that magic paper, the ballot
Woman would be willing to abide by
whatever might be demanded in this
respect. Again, women cannot do mil.
itaryduty, neither can the Old men and
cripples, and yet they are allowed to
vote
woman suffrage has been tried in
Nah, but did not Danish polygamy.'
Yes, but allow the women all over the
country to vote and it would soon be a
thing of the past.
They Say it would be bad thing
morally for woman to vote.
( Did woman suffer so very much
morally, by all she was called upon to
do during the late war? After bidding
the father, son, husband or brother to
''go and may the God of battles 60 with
you" she set herself to work to raise
the grain, market what she had raised,
and also went on errands Of love and
mercy, here, there and every where.
,-sBut why need 1 dwell longer on this
part of my subject. When all is said
that can be said against women voting,
there is but one excuse and that is be-
cause-because she is a woman.
AS society, we will never be salts
fed until national prohibition is secur-
ed; until therum Traffic is forever driv-
en- from our land.
We have done, are doing, and expect
to do, all in our power to secure large
majority, against the SALE in Jerauld
county and ask the cooperation Of all
the lovers Of temperance, truth and
right in the good work.
,And now officers and teachers of the
institute, we appeal to you-you who
will have 50 much to do with molding
public sentiment, in the nama of our
county and in the name OF posterity
teach all who come under your care and
influence that there is mo safety but in
total abstinence from all that can in
toxicate."
With full faith in God we will labor,
watch and pray until the victory is
ours, for God and home and native
land.
The drunkard maker always hates
his old and most reliable customers and
is proud of cursing them and kicking
them out. How we should be surpris-
ed to see a shoemaker slam the door
against an old customer and say, "Y on
villalnous old scamp, l have made boots
and shoes for you and your family for
twenty years, and have been paid for
them, and here you are after more
shoes! Get out, and don't let me see
your face again" How funny it would
look to see tailor basting a school
mate into the gutter because after get
ting his clothes there for over fifteen
years, he wants to buy an overcoat. Or
a minister assaulting an old standby
because for twenty-five years he has
been a communicate and elder in the
church, and therefore must be unfit
company for anybody Isn't it time
for drunkards to be ashamed of the
drunkard- makers Free Press, eau
Claire, Wis.,
mt nfe,